Peter Kyle warns racists there's 'nowhere to hide' after Lioness Jess Carter faces vile abuse
Peter Kyle has warned racists they have "nowhere to hide on the internet' after England player Jess Carter faced a torrent of abuse online.
The Technology Secretary told cowardly perpetrators to 'pipe down' until they're representing their country on the international stage, adding: 'At which point, maybe your voice will be worth a bit more.' He described Carter as a 'national hero' and said he was 'deeply regretful' she had faced sickening messages online.
'I'm deeply regretful she's had to experience this. It's an ugly facet of modern online life that some parts of social media incentivise the worst in people and society, not the best,' he said.
Asked for his message to the abusers, Mr Kyle added: 'How about you just pipe down until you're representing England on the international stage? At which point, maybe your voice will be worth a bit more.'
Over the weekend, Carter spoke out about the racial abuse she has received during the Lionesses' Euro 2025 campaign. Her teammates rallied around her, saying in a statement: "No one should have to endure such vile abuse."
The team also confirmed it would ditch taking the knee before kick-off in their semi-final match against Italy today, as they said it is "clear" football needs another way to tackle racism. The FA confirmed it has contacted the police over the abuse, with officers now in touch with the relevant social media platform.
Speaking to The Mirror on Monday, Mr Kyle said racism is illegal online, as it is offline, as race is a protected characteristic under the Equalities Act. But he admitted the Tories watering down the Online Safety Act hadn't helped the situation on the internet. He took aim at now-Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch, who in 2022 warned against 'legislating for hurt feelings' in criticism of the proposed law.
But Mr Kyle said police have the power to track down those who are racist online - often to the surprise of abusers when they receive a knock on the door from an officer. He said: 'Race is a protected characteristic under the Equalities Act. Racism is illegal online and offline.
'There is nowhere to hide on the internet. People think there is, but there's not. So if you think that you can keep quiet about your racism in the street but propagate it online, you are wrong and this department and this government expects racism to be tackled whenever and wherever it expresses itself.'
He continued: 'Some people think that life online is consequence free and that's what we have to change. Platforms have to do better but there's a lot of human beings who need to do better as they're the ones generating this content."
Elsewhere Reform UK Nigel Farage earlier suggested punishment for racism should be weakened. Asked by The Mirror whether racism on social media should be taken seriously, Mr Farage said: "Abuse on social media is rife... you can have my account for a day if you like."
He continued: "Of course there's a limit to free speech, people should have their wrist slapped if they behave like that."
Meanwhile Reform councillor Laila Cunningham, who joined Mr Farage at a press conference yesterday, said: "Once you're a public figure, once you speak out - whether you're public or not - it just comes with the game sadly. But it's not a crime."
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